Jet fire kills dozens in Sudan

But over 100 escape blaze after landing in bad weather

Mohamed Osman, Associated Press

Published
4:00 am PDT, Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Rescuers attend the scene where a Sudanese jetliner veered off a runway after landing amid thunderstorms and exploded into flames, at the airport in the capital Khartoum, Sudan late Tuesday, June 10, 2008. Over 200 passengers were aboard the plane when it landed with conflicting initial reports as to the number of casualties. (AP Photo/Abd Raouf) less

Rescuers attend the scene where a Sudanese jetliner veered off a runway after landing amid thunderstorms and exploded into flames, at the airport in the capital Khartoum, Sudan late Tuesday, June 10, 2008. Over ... more

Photo: Abd Raouf, AP

Photo: Abd Raouf, AP

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Rescuers attend the scene where a Sudanese jetliner veered off a runway after landing amid thunderstorms and exploded into flames, at the airport in the capital Khartoum, Sudan late Tuesday, June 10, 2008. Over 200 passengers were aboard the plane when it landed with conflicting initial reports as to the number of casualties. (AP Photo/Abd Raouf) less

Rescuers attend the scene where a Sudanese jetliner veered off a runway after landing amid thunderstorms and exploded into flames, at the airport in the capital Khartoum, Sudan late Tuesday, June 10, 2008. Over ... more

Photo: Abd Raouf, AP

Jet fire kills dozens in Sudan

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A Sudanese Airbus carrying 214 people veered off the runway in a thunderstorm and burst into flames late Tuesday, killing dozens unable to escape the inferno. Officials said more than 100 people fled the plane before it was engulfed by towering orange flames.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene said the Sudan Airways jetliner appeared to have left the runway after landing at Khartoum International Airport, and several loud explosions resounded as fire raced through the aircraft.

The Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that 103 passengers and all 11 crew members survived. In addition, it said some other passengers may have gone home directly after the crew helped them through the emergency doors. Officials said most aboard were Sudanese.

Death toll reports conflicted. State TV initially said about 100 were killed, but officials later put the toll at dozens without being more precise. Deputy parliament speaker Mohammed al-Hassan al-Ameen said "about 30 people" died, while police spokesman Mohammed Abdel Majid al-Tayeb said 23 bodies were brought to the morgue.

"There are missing passengers who could be still inside the plane, or left the aircraft but did not inform officials," al-Tayeb said.

A survivor speaking at the airport to Sudanese TV said the landing was rough, and there was a sharp impact several minutes later.

"The right wing was on fire," said the passenger, who did not give his name. He said smoke got into the cockpit and some people started opening the emergency exits. Soon, fire engulfed the plane, he said.

The cause of the accident wasn't immediately known, and there were differing reports on the role weather played.

A sandstorm had hit the area with 20 mph winds between 2 and 3 p.m., and there was a thunderstorm and similar winds at the time of the crash around 9 p.m., said Elaine Yang, a meteorologist with San Francisco's Weather Underground, a private weather service.

The Sudanese ambassador to Washington called the weather "very bad" and said the runway had been drenched by rain.

"There was a lot of water on the runway, and they still tried to land," Ambassador John Ukec Lueth Ukec said.

The head of Sudanese police, Mohammad Najib, said bad weather "caused the plane to crash land, split into two and catch fire."

Youssef Ibrahim, director of the Khartoum airport, disputed that bad weather caused the crash. He told Sudanese TV that the plane "landed safely" and the pilot was talking to the control tower and getting further instructions when the accident occurred.